


Truth and Consequences

by SteveM



Series: Life after Crisis [9]
Category: Batwoman (TV 2019), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:00:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveM/pseuds/SteveM
Summary: After Supergirl and Batwoman prove their innocence and put Lex behind bars there's the minor matter of Lena and Kara's relationship...
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Kate Kane
Series: Life after Crisis [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623199
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

Kate Kane closed her eyes as she glided through the sky, her cape spread behind her catching the updrafts from the tall buildings of the financial district. It always felt so, so odd when she was patrolling National City instead of Gotham. There was just something so peaceful about Supergirl’s home town which, perhaps, shouldn’t be that surprising she admonished herself. You had to be a particular kind of stupid to go commit normal, everyday crimes in a city watched over by a Kryptonian, doubly so when said Kryptonian could call on literally every other hero on Earth should she need to.

Still this night was quiet even for National City and she had to admit it was nice to be able to savour the freedom moving like this could bring. She did, sometimes, wonder how Kara ever managed to keep her feet on the ground, even this pale imitation of her partner’s powers was a constant addictive temptation every time she had the suit on. 

Reluctantly she looked around and picked a landing spot on a ledge about two thirds of the way up the headquarters of one Morgan Edge. She’d heard him complaining loudly and often about having a Bat and a Super using the building as their own personal lookout spot if only because it gave the impression he had done something wrong. Considering his past history on that front Kate and Kara made it a point to swing by at least once a week. Kate just regretted that her dark and brooding persona meant she couldn’t copy Kara’s trick of giving him a big thumbs up and cheesy smile or an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture as she glided past his office window whenever he was working late.

Alighting gently on her chosen perch she looked around, the cowl’s enhanced vision and hearing kicking in to monitor the local surroundings. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary she thought. Couple of low-key arguments but nothing tripping any of the voice analysis software, someone running for the last bus… and then, just on the very edge of her surveillance range, she heard a faint gasp.

Zooming in she saw a figure jerk upright in a chair and look around as if disorientated. As there didn’t seem to be a pressing need for Batwoman to pummel someone’s face at that exact moment she decided she could take a few moments to be Kate Kane and launched herself towards the L-corp tower.

Lena Luthor was still trying to gather her wits when there was the softest thud of boot on slate and Batwoman walked casually into her office. Years of being friends with Supergirl had made receiving visitors from that direction seem almost normal but her first instinct on seeing that black-clad figure with the permanent scowl was to take a step back.

“Ms Luthor, is everything… alright?” Batwoman asked and her voice was distorted and low pitched thanks to the voice changer on her hip.

“I… yes. Yes I was just working late and with no-one else here I must have nodded off.”

With the confirmation they were alone Kate flicked the voice changer off. “You’re sure? I thought I heard… something.”

“Yes, yes everything’s fine. I, that was probably…” Lena faltered then spun angrily on her heel and stalked away from Kate towards the couch on the far side of the office.

“Yes, clearly everything’s fine.” Kate said sardonically moving to lean against the desk, giving Lena her space. Lena threw her an irritated glower but there didn’t seem to be much real venom behind it, at least none that was aimed at Kate herself.

“Of course it is!” Lena snapped, her hands grabbing a soft foam L-corp branded ball from the table and rolling it between her fingers. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“No idea.” Kate said with well-practiced sarcasm. “Want me to take a guess?”

“I mean you all invited me in to your own private worlds, opened up to a Luthor despite.. despite everything. Lex is in jail and likely to stay there at least for a while. I’ve even got the company back, taken the Luthor name off it… again… everything’s fine!”

“Well not for that stress ball it isn’t.” Kate pointed out and Lena realised she was crushing the foam ball in her fist. She let go and looked up guiltily at Kate.

“Here, try this.” Kate said, stepping close and handing over a Batarang. “I find it works wonders, just don’t aim for anything expensive.”

Lena rolled her eyes, glanced around the room then whipped her wrist around, letting the bat-shaped weapon spin the length of the office and bury itself in the heavy wood of the door.

“Not bad.” Kate commented, slipping a second one from her belt and casually whipping it in an underarm throw that somehow wrapped it around the first to dislodge it from its new wood prison. She walked over, scooped both up from the floor then offered the first back to Lena.

“Want to go again? Or would you rather tell me what’s going on before you really rack up the repair bill?”

Lena paused then grabbed the offered weapon. This time though she didn’t throw it, just kept it in her hand, carefully making sure she didn’t touch the leading edges. Slowly she turned it to catch the light.

“Definitely an improvement over squashable foam.” She muttered darkly before sighing and motioning to a chair opposite her. “Where to start Kate?”

Kate shrugged as she sat down, the cowl still firmly in place. Lena she’d already trusted with this particular secret but she may have to race off at any moment and there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks. 

“Pick somewhere and we can always fill in the blanks.”

“You were a paragon, right?”

“Of courage, yes.”

Lena paused, thinking, then a small smile skittered across her lips. “Sounds right.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Kara let slip you… oh how to put this… taught her a great many things including how good you look between her thighs?”

“Trust me, the feeling’s mutual. But how does that equal courage?”

“Going down on someone who could break mountains with a sneeze? Sounds pretty courageous to me!”

“What’s life without a little risk?” Kate said casually, figuring they didn’t need to get into the logistics of screwing a Kryptonian or how their bedrooms now came equipped with both red sun lamps and yellow sun grenades.

“Longer?” Lena said with a smirk then grew serious again. “As I understand it from Lex you Paragons didn’t need any help remembering what happened, you just retained it the same way I did?”

“Pretty much, yes.” Kate confirmed, wondering where Lena was going with this.

“So you didn’t get a memory dump from J’onn? You don’t know… don’t know what I did pre-Crisis?”

Ah, Kate thought, that’s where we’re going… 

“Yes and no. I didn't get an upload of everything that happened on Earth 38 prior to getting teleported there by Harbinger. But Kara and Alex have given me the highlights since.”

“It’s not the same thing…” Her eyes lost focus as she stared into the mists of memory. “Kate I did some… some pretty awful things. I was just as bad… just as bad as Lex.” Her voice caught and Kate heard her choke back a sob.

“Okay, hold that thought.” Kate said. “If you want to talk this through can I suggest we do so somewhere with a bit more comfort and a lot more booze?”

Lena blinked and gave her a confused look. “What?”

“It’s still relatively early and Kara’s out of town with Jefferson until tomorrow at least. Take some time to think then, if you still want to talk, I’ll have a booth reserved at the Speakeasy from about 10, no, make that 10:30 on. If not that’s fine too, no pressure.”

Lena thought about the offer for a moment. She could see where Kate was coming from and if she was being entirely honest the idea of a stiff drink or ten sounded very good right now. “Okay, I’ll be there. I think, anyway.”

“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a patrol to finish and a quick costume change waiting.” Kate smiled, stood up with a short and slightly mocking bow to Lena then walked to the balcony and vaulted the railing, dropping into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

The Speakeasy was packed even this late at night. The converted theatre was, if anything, becoming more and more popular as its reputation spread and Kate was seriously considering opening up something similar in Gotham. Or, at least she though with a rueful smile, she would once she figured out how to stop it instantly becoming a haven for thugs, crooks and general scum buckets. Maybe she could just ask Supergirl to fly by randomly for a few weeks, nothing like a gorgeous blonde throwing the bad guys through the roof to encourage the right sort of customers.

She sighed and settled back in the private booth, one eye on the dance floor for any potential trouble. That was something she was noticing more and more these days, no matter what was going on some part of her was always the Bat. Was that a good thing she wondered... maybe but it was definitely something she needed to bring up with Kara someday soon. The booth, unlike almost any other club, really was private with a fully soundproof roof and back wall. The front was glass with a sliding door and that glass could be darkened at the flick of a switch. It was one of the ways they'd made this place a true safe space for aliens that couldn't blend in or, well, anyone who just needed somewhere to go and talk and it seemed to be working better than they could have hoped for.

Her watch buzzed an alert and she smiled as she checked the message, taking the time to order a fresh round of drinks before settling back expectantly. Sure enough less than a minute later an usher guided Lena to the door of the booth before stepping back and vanishing into the crowd.

"You came." Kate said, gesturing to a seat. "Now the question is... are you staying?"

Lena hesitated for a moment then slipped inside, nervously smoothing the sheer black dress that clung to her right shoulder by what seemed an impossibly thin of strap.

"I think I'm a little... overdressed." She said and Kate leaned back, the casual blazer / shirt combo and ripped jeans instantly transforming from comfortable everyday outfit to stunning fashion statement with the small changes to her body language.

"Or possibly not." Lena admitted. "Kate, I..." She was interrupted by another staff member bearing a tray knocking politely on the glass. Kate beckoned him in and he smoothly laid out three beers in front of her and a set of four shot glasses full of whiskey in front of Lena before departing. Once he'd gone Kate thumbed the door closed and darkened the glass leaving them alone in their own private bubble in the midst of the crowd.

"Four shots? Anyone would think you're trying to take advantage of me." Lena said with a look that briefly made Kate curse the concept of monogamy.

"If what I've heard about you is even halfway true then I'd have undershot quite badly." Kate said with a shrug. "Plus if I was trying to take advantage of you alcohol is a very poor way to go. Plus plus Kara would, rightly, kick my ass into orbit."

"Pity." Lena said, snagging a shot and downing it, still clearly trying to get on top of her nerves. Kate took a pull on her beer to hide her surprise. Not at what was said or even what it implied about the raven haired beauty sitting across from her but that she'd said it so casually. Whatever was on Lena Luthor's mind it clearly had her extremely distracted. For a moment Kate considered asking her about it but instead held her silence, sitting back and letting Lena take her time.

"I... I said I'd done some awful things." Lena said slowly, her fingers playing with the now empty shot glass, eyes fixed on the table. "I wasn't lying."

"Kara told me about..." Kate started but Lena cut her off.

"Kara doesn't know half of it." She said with anger coating every word. "She doesn't know about... about my arrogance and stupidity and.. and..." She paused, visibly collecting herself. "And I've got no idea how to even start telling her about any of it."

"Are you sure you should?" Kate asked gently.

"Actually I'm almost sure I shouldn't." Lena admitted. "But... but I can't just hide it away. Not after... "

"After you lost her, most if not all of your friends and almost your soul when neither of you were honest with the other?" Kate said, opting for the short, sharp shock approach.

Lena looked up, her eyes flashing... but the anger died away to be replaced by sadness and she nodded. "That would sum it up, yes."

Kate sighed and took another swig before replying. "Okay... I'm going to assume there's no-one you know you can talk to about this without having to reveal everything about Kara and... and her friends?" Even in the privacy of the booth Kate didn't want to push her luck when it came to secret identities. 

"No, not unless I get a visitor pass to see Lex and that seems a horribly bad idea."

"You're not wrong." Kate agreed, steeling herself. "Alright, then how's about you tell me?"

"You're sure? Then there's two of us keeping secrets from Kara.”

“Well that’s the catch…” Kate said with a sympathetic smile. “I want to help fix this if I can, I really do. One way or the other. But…”

“But you’re not willing to risk Kara to do that?”

“No.” Kate said bluntly. “I’m not. For the first time since Sophie…. Maybe even since the car accident where I lost Beth I finally feel like I’m whole again. I’m going to tell her about this conversation the first chance I get and I will give her the choice of whether or not she wants details but if she does, well…”

“You’ll tell her.”

“Yes.”

There was silence for a minute as Lena turned the problem over in her head. “I don’t blame you. Not even a little. She’s… well, I don’t blame you. And if you’re sure you still want to listen I’d be more than happy to talk.”

"I'm sure." Kate said and she meant it. While Kara tried to brush it off it there was a clear Lena-shaped hole in her life. Maybe this was one way Kate could help heal that wound and, hopefully, help Lena move on as well. With luck they could do so together but if not at least there’d be closure.

Lena swallowed and started to talk. Told Kate about how she'd created synthetic Kryptonite, kept and experimented with harun-el, used human test subjects who hadn't survived the trials, placed her AI into Eve Tessmacher against her will... all of it. Once she started she found she couldn't stop and the words just tumbled out, free at last. 

Kate sat and listened, taking it all in while her mind worked furiously on the bigger problem. She actually found herself sympathetic to Lena's situation, although there was no doubt that it was largely self-inflicted. If that friendship was ever going to be rebuilt this couldn't sit unsaid between them but, at the same time, Kara would be devastated by the truth.

Finally Lena ran out of both words and whiskey, sitting back shaking, tears in her eyes. To her surprise a few seconds later there was a knock on the glass wall and Kate let another waiter in with fresh drinks, a snack tray and - Lena couldn't help but notice with a watery grin - a small, discrete pack of tissues tucked under one of the plates. She sent a raised eyebrow in Kate's direction who shrugged and, as soon as they were alone again, said: "Always be prepared, it's a Bat thing."

"From what I hear so is solving impossible problems..." Lena said in a tone that was part flirting part pleading.

"Okay... how honest do you want this?"

"100%."

"Short version: you've put yourself in a really impressive box and pretty much any way out is going to be unpleasant."

Lena nodded, miserably. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"The way I see it you've got three options. Number 1: say absolutely nothing which I'm pretty sure means there's always going to be a great big unspoken thing between you and Kara."

“But then she’ll hear it from you.”

“And I made damn sure you knew that before you started talking so I think we both know you'd already discounted that possibility. Option 2: tell her everything which... I'm not going to lie Lena, that's likely going to break her heart all over again."

"And Option 3?"

“Walk away. Leave National City, drop out of sight, cut off all contact with Kara, me, the league… everyone. I really don’t recommend it but I can’t think of another way around the problem if you’re not going to tell her.”

“So either way I break her heart.”

“Maybe.” Kate sighed and took Lena’s hand. “Look, I’m sorry, breaking bad news gently isn’t exactly my strong suit. It’s a terrible situation and if I could think of a better way out of it I’d tell you. But I can’t. Either you tell her and risk her rejecting you completely or…”

“Or I leave, lose Kara anyway but never find out what would have happened. Some choice.”

“As I said, this isn’t going to be pleasant either way. But maybe, once it’s done, you can sleep again. Whichever way it goes.”

Lena blinked back fresh tears but nodded. “Yeah, I know… okay, could I ask you for one favour though.”

“Ask and I’ll let you know.”

“Could you tell Kara we’ve had this conversation and I’d like to get to talk to her myself when she’s ready for it? I can wait if she needs me to.”

Kate considered that for a moment. “Yes, I can do that. And for what it’s worth I really hope this works out for both of you, hell, for all of us.”

“Me too.” Lena said and squeezed Kate’s hand before reluctantly getting up from her seat. “I should get going before I drink you dry.”

“Now there’s something that’s never going to happen!” Kate laughed. “I’ll tell her as soon as I can Lena and we’ll see where it goes from there. But if you need anything in the meantime just let me know, alright?”

“Thank you.” Lena said and keyed the door open. It slid shut behind her and Kate left the glass dark, staring at nothing as she tried to picture any way this would end well.


	3. Chapter 3

Kara Danvers was currently flying back towards National City at about 20,000 feet and at a leisurely 500 miles an hour. For her it was barely a gentle jog but she wasn't in any rush, quite the opposite really. Some of what she'd seen in Freeland had been shocking and sent her mind flashing back to the anti-alien sentiment she'd seen during her dealings with the Children of Liberty. She knew, of course, that such problems were hardly unique to Earth and even her homeworld had suffered from them to some degree. Still it was depressing to realise how far they had to go and how little she could really help in that area.

She reached up and triggered her comm, wondering briefly if Kate would still be awake. It had to be well past two in the morning and even Bats had to sleep sometime.   
"Hi lover." Kate's voice whispered in her ear. "Is this business or did you just want to know what I'm wearing right now?"

"Well it's not business...." Kara said, flustered. "Uh, what are you..."

"Nothing." Kate replied and that one word was so dripping with invitation that Kara felt herself flying faster.

"Kate I'm trying to be neighbourly and not break the sound barrier here..." She admonished the woman on the other end of the line who Kara knew, just *knew*, had that mischievous smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

"So I shouldn't tell you where my hands are then?"

There was a long silence before Kara replied. "Look, make you a deal?"

"If it involves maple syrup you need to pick some up on the way back, you used the last on that pancake stack this morning."

"No... hmm... NO! No syrup, maple or otherwise."

"No deal then."

Kara sighed. "What am I going to do with you, no, wait, don't answer that." she corrected herself as a multitude of answers lined up in her mind. "I think I really need to unwind before coming home, it was a... rough trip."

"Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine I just... need to get my mind straight okay?"

"Fair."

"So give me..." She paused, running the maths through her head. "About 80 minutes. Run a bath, get some candles lit and I'll come join you as soon as I'm through the door."

"Oh you drive a hard bargain Ms Zor-El!" Kate teased. "I'm ever so tired after all..."

Kara grinned at the blatant lie, she well knew Kate could somehow go without sleep for days at a time if need be, a little thing like a 4am booty call wasn't going to cause a problem. "Alright fine... two picks from the list."

"Five."

"Two."

"Six."

"You haven't gotten the hang of negotiating have you."

"Six."

"Okay... three."

"And that's larger than two so I'm not that bad at negotiating. Three it is."

Kara burst out laughing while mentally running through what Kate was likely to pick. The List had been a moment of genius from the brunette as a way to introduce Kara to all the various fun depravities, filth and perversions Earth had to offer. Much like a good Chinese take out menu there was a great deal of choice, many of which complemented each other perfectly, and all numbered for easy reference. It was certainly educational, not to mention deliriously enjoyable but did have its downsides. Kate getting bored on the stakeout part of a mission with the rest of the founding league members and pretending the numbers were their own private tactical code had been a particular highlight in that regard with Kara wishing mightily that her suit allowed for underwear or was, at least, a slightly darker blue. Or black. Or any shade that did a better job hiding dampness. On the plus side it let them have conversations like this without getting too worried about another league member accidentally listening in.

"Okay, three, but nothing from the 200's, alright? I think I'm going to need a little TLC tonight."

"Not even 218?"

Kara swallowed and fought back temptation. "Maybe later."

"Oh alright then... but you drive a hard bargain!"

"I know, I'm just awful." Kara said sarcastically. "I'd going to swing by and say hi to the kitties on my way, see you in a bit."

"Have fun!" Kate replied and switched off with a smile, reaching for their private 'menu' to browse the possibilities and wondering how she was ever going to make a choice in just an hour!

Kara banked gently over the National City Zoo and floated down to the grass without a sound. She always felt a little guilty about doing this but after a few back and forth conversations with the zoo management and specialists they'd agreed it wouldn't likely hurt anything. As soon as she touched down she could hear the soft padding of a large animal coming up the slight hill towards her. Turning she saw the large head, eyes locked on her as powerful legs pushed into a faster loping run. The powerful body rippled as muscles moved, bunched... and relaxed as it came to a halt beside her, head nuzzling up against her side. She brought a hand up to scratch the top of its head, playing with its ears and running her fingers down its nose.

"Hey Max, miss me?" She said with a giggle as the lion reached up and licked her hand with a tongue that would likely have caused a human to bleed in a couple of strokes. True to form she heard the approach of another cat and turned slightly, left arm out from her side as the second lion rushed forward and launched itself up, standing on its hind legs, front paws wrapped over her arm as it rubbed its face against her neck.

"Good to see you too Misty!" She laughed, pushing her own head gently into the rub. It had taken a few months for the big cats to get used to having her around but now they almost treated her like one of the pack. To everyone's slight surprise they'd actually proven quick studies and seemed to recognise the Girl of Steel as different to their usual handlers. Certainly they never tried any of their roughhousing with the squishy humans. If anything Kara had actually proven a benefit as they'd called her on a few occasions when they'd needed to give the Max a medical check. The alpha male was notoriously grumpy with that sort of thing and a grumpy lion tended to spread the grumpiness around. With Kara on hand though he seemed more than happy to let the people get on with their work without trying to bite them in half. One of the workers had remarked with a wink that's what happened when you had an alpha female on hand and Kara hadn't stopped giggling for an hour.

The two adults huffed and rumbled at her, circling then moving away slightly. Sure enough she caught the stealthy approach from behind of the two cubs but didn't turn around. Instead she let them creep up, gather themselves... and pounce. She spun around, arms outstretched and caught both of them as they slammed into her. She let herself fall backwards, floating gently down as both cubs looked a little confused at the odd sensation. 

"Oscar, Chloe, you're getting big!" She said, her hands patting their sides as they poked and prodded her. This had been the part, more than anything else, everyone had worried about. The last thing they wanted was the cubs getting the idea that pouncing on people was okay. Again though the big cats had surprised them and it almost seemed to work in reverse. Getting their instincts out on Kara seemed to make them easier to handle for the rest of the staff. Of course there was a big difference between easier and easy and all involved were under strict instructions to still treat the family as wild animals at all times.

Seeing the cubs were still bursting with energy she lifted into the sky and started flying lazy figure eights and zig zag patterns across the enclosure, the cubs racing along underneath her, swiping at her cape and jumping to try and reach her. Soon enough they slowed and she landed back with their parents, all four lions clustering around her, enjoying the warmth pouring from her body. She sat amongst them enjoying the gentle thud of their heartbeats and the rumble and growls and chuffs as they accepted her into their lives, even if only for a while. Of course she still had to be so, so careful around them, her strength and invulnerable skin potentially lethal to the beautiful creatures which was why she went to such lengths to make sure they never bit her. She felt the tension and stress bleed away as the world reminded her there was such peace and beauty to be found no matter how ugly the part of it she had to deal with. 

Reluctantly she got to her feet, gently tugging her cape free from Chloe who'd been casually trying to shred it with one large paw. Oscar padded over, looked up and flopped onto his back.

"So dramatic!" She said affectionately, reaching down and scratching his stomach to the obvious enjoyment of the big cat. "Okay, I've gotta go do something similar to my girlfriend, I'll see you all soon!" She took off, circling once to make sure that all four of them weren't spooked by her sudden departure and headed back into the city. She often wondered what they made of a person who could fly but, then, would it be any stranger than what some humans thought of her?

Kara slipped through the open window into Kate's apartment. It had been a new purchase for the Gotham billionaire but they'd already taken to using it most of the time she was in town if only to avoid someone with such well known wealth constantly going to somewhere rent controlled. Kara hated to admit it but it was rather nice having a dedicated space for her to come and go complete with a neatly sheltered balcony. Though normally the door to the rest of the apartment didn't have a suspicious garment bag hanging on it complete with the number 32 in black marker on a luminous pink sticky note slapped on the front.

Kate was lounging in the huge hot tub when Kara walked in, an infectious and hungry grin on her face, those sparkling eyes running up and down Kara's figure as the Girl of Steel put her hands on her hips in a pose that had become famous worldwide. It was a pose that would have been even more popular if Kara habitually used the tiny blue mini skirt and white crop top with a screen printed S she currently wore, not to mention the short red cape that barely came down to her butt.

"My hero..." Kate purred, flicking a splash of water at her partner. Dozens of candles lit the room and there were even rose petals floating in the tub but Kara only had eyes for the brunette.

"The things I do for love." Kara said with a smile that lit up the world, diving and twisting into Kate's arms with a surprisingly small splash as their lips met and the rest of the world melted away.


	4. Chapter 4

"So... uh, I need to talk to you about something that's kinda going to suck." Kate said the next morning as they sat curled up together on the couch, the remains of breakfast on the table behind them.

"If it's that we're out of maple syrup..."

"I told you about that last night."

"Not for breakfast-related reasons you didn't."

"True but you could have got enough for both. And no, it's not about that and..." Kate sighed, twisted up and kissed Kara fiercely. It caught the blonde by surprise and she took a moment to recover when Kate finally pulled back.

"Uh... that... that didn't suck." Kara said as she tried to get her head straight.

"No but I'm worried you might not be in the mood for it afterwards." Kate admitted. "I... spent the evening talking to Lena last night."

Kara felt a sudden, icy worry settle in the bottom of her stomach. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I think... look, there's no simple way of putting this and believe me I've tried. She's absolutely terrified of talking to you."

"What! I mean... why? I thought we were..."

"Because from what I can tell there's enough history here to write a thesis on." Kate said with a small smile, squeezing Kara’s shoulders. "What happened between you two... well, it wasn't a one off thing. There's literally years of, of misunderstandings and half-truths and, well, outright lies that led up to it and Lena's driving herself crazy trying to work out what to do about them."

Kara was silent for a moment than, in a very small and frightened voice said: “It’s not just her that did that. Is it?”

Kate winced but she knew that above all else right now she needed to be honest. “I don’t think so, no. Best intentions, the greater good, whatever reason you want to use… you both kept things from the other that needed to be shared.”

“Yeah…” Kara whispered the word and the look she gave Kate tore her heart in two.

“Hey, no, no no no, not… no judgement, okay? Sure as hell not from me. Trust me, I’ve made the exact same mistakes and almost certainly a lot more than you have. It’s part of being alive, we don’t always get things right. Nothing about any of this changed how I feel about you in any way.”

“You’re sure?” Kara was trembling now and Kate swept her into a hug.

“Absolutely, definitely, positively, 100% sure. Kara… the truth is I can’t imagine my life without you any more. Can’t imagine not coming home to your smile, your warmth, your light. You really want to know how this affects my feelings for you?”

Kara nodded, on the verge of tears.

“If anything I think I love you more. You made mistakes but you *never* let that stop you trying, stop you hoping. Turns out the only thing I find more attractive than perfection is slightly imperfect perfection.” Kate smiled and she heard Kara give a half chuckle, half sob against her shoulder. 

For a while they just stayed curled up together, Kate letting her hands knead and stroke Kara’s shoulders, neck and back, trying to be there for her in any way she could. Eventually Kara seemed to come back to herself, as if she’d been thinking so hard everything else had almost shut down.

“So, what now?”

“Lena wants to see you, to talk all this through. It’s… not likely to be pleasant, sorry.”

“And if I don’t want to see her?”

“Then when you’re ready I’ll tell you what she told me. No secrets between us, ever.”

“Never ever.” Kara replied, snuggling closer.

“But, if you’ll take my advice, you should hear it from her. And she should hear it from you. And then you can decide what you both want and see where it goes.”

“And if… if it goes nowhere?”

“Then you’ll have tried. And you’ll know. And you can both still move on.”

Another long silence fell then Kate felt something change, a familiar feeling of purpose driving the slim blonde frame in her arms springing back into life.

“Okay. Okay, you’re right, we owe each other that much after all this. Do you know where she wants to meet?”

As it happened they hadn’t really set that up as neither Kate nor Lena had been at all sure what Kara’s response would be. Kate ended up sorting out the arrangements and both Kara and Lena agreed to meet at the Speakeasy at 8 that evening. Kate made sure the same privacy booth was available and that an open tab was running for them. She debated coming along herself, not to listen in but to be close by in case she was needed. But… but no, even if she tried to be sneaky Kara would almost certainly know she was nearby and the fact was Supergirl could likely get from anywhere in National City to Kate’s arms in about ten seconds flat if need be.


	5. Chapter 5

To Kara’s surprise Lena was actually at the club before her and she could hear her heart beating nineteen to the dozen from half a block away. She was escorted up to the booth level and gently knocked on the glass door. Lena looked up, froze for a moment then burst out laughing.

Kara was wearing a knee length grey skirt, thin grey belt, white shirt and a light pink button top with every button open. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she had a large brown bag over her shoulder. The spitting image of how she’d looked almost five years ago when she’d first walked in to Lena’s office following what turned out to be the first attempt on the CEO’s life of seemingly a never-ending number. 

“And who are you, exactly?” Lena asked with a smile.

“Kara Danvers…” Kara stepped inside and shut the door, making sure that all the privacy settings were turned on. “Supergirl.”

“Well… that’s quite the career change from CatCo magazine!” Lena teased. “Although I seem to remember you were only ‘sort of’ with them at the time.”

Kara blushed, remembering all to well her first attempts at journalism alongside her cousin, Clark. “Well that was pretty much true, Cat hadn’t actually made me a reporter at that point.”

“And, as much as it’s a good look on you, why wear it tonight?”

“Back to the beginning.” Kara said firmly. “Oliver gave us a whole new world, let’s see if we can’t do it right this time.”

“You… may not think that at the end of the night.” Lena said, her mood rapidly shifting to something dark and ugly.

“Maybe.” Kara allowed. “Though I could say the same to you. So how about we take this one soul-crushing revelation at a time and see what happens rather than assume it’s all doomed to failure?”

“Alright… who goes first?” Lena asked, only half kidding. Kara squared her shoulders and slipped into the booth next to Lena. "I do" she said, though her voice shook with nerves.

"The first time I came to see you by myself, after Alex saved your life and I was looking for your opinion on the alien amnesty act? You showed me an alien detector. Oh you were so proud... a simple, cheap way of telling who was human and who wasn't for those that wanted to know. You said they had a right to know. And it was brilliant, Lena, it really was. But instead of telling you that I was busy panicking that it was going to work and you were immediately going to know who I was so I heat-visioned it when your back was turned. Did just enough damage so it registered me.. and everyone... as humans."

"Well... you didn't want your identity revealed. It..."

"That's not it." Kara interrupted. "Yeah I was worried about that but deep down I was already thinking how much I enjoyed being around you and didn't see that continuing if you found out the truth. I could have just placed my thumb on that pad and this, ALL of this, might have been avoided."

Lena looked at her for a long, thoughtful moment. "Or it could have all happened much sooner." She said quietly. "If I'd known right from the start you were Supergirl, before I had the chance to get to know you, the real you I mean, the woman without the cape... I might easily have gone down the same road as Lex."

"Never!" Kara said and the strength of her conviction was solid enough to support worlds. "That'd never happen Lena!"

"You might not think that when we're done." Lena said quietly, taking a deep breath. "When my mother came to me and asked for help with her insane plan to kill every alien on the planet I, I was a hair's breadth away from saying yes. I thought I saw a way back in, a way to finally fix everything that hurt and help humanity the way I always wanted to."

At the horrified look on Kara's face Lena laughed bitterly and reached for her drink. "See, told you you'd change your mind." She went to throw the shot down her throat and found an irresistible but gentle grip holding her arm steady. She looked into Kara's eyes and, to her shock, found the friend she'd thought lost staring back.

"You didn't do it." Kara said gently. "You turned away and did the right thing."

"But"

"No 'but'. Everyone thinks about making choices they don't, I suspect we all think about making choices we know we shouldn't too. Before I met you Cat hired this particularly irritating and ambitious assistant to teach me a lesson for breaking up with her son. I would daydream about throwing that woman off the planet. Like... all day. Not proud of that, at all, but it doesn't make me a bad person, at least I don't think it does."

"You... dated Cat's son?"

Kara shook her head and waved a hand. "For, like, a few days and after kinda getting pushed into it."

"You know if that gets out people are going to start seeing a pattern between you and heirs to fortunes."

Kara winced, she genuinely hadn't thought of that. In fact now that Lena pointed it out Mon-El had, technically, been a prince....

"What happened?"

"The cape got in the way."

"Ah. That does seem to happen a lot, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. It's why..." Kara broke off and Lena raised an eyebrow.

"I'm assuming the word Kate is heading towards this conversation?" Kara nodded, starting to blush.

"Tell you what, if we get to the end of this and you're still able to be in the same room as me tell me all about her then." Lena said with a smile that sent Kara rushing back to countless chats in Lena's office, curled up on her sofa together. The smile faded as Lena realised she might never get to hear that conversation and she rushed ahead.

Slowly, carefully, the two women picked apart the tangle of the last four years. They both looked for the easiest way to put the revelations but neither were anything but honest. Tears fell and more than once they had to break off, both of them needing to walk away for a moment to collect themselves. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they ran out of things to say and sat in silence, looking at each other.

"So, where do we go now?" Lena asked, her hands shaking so badly she didn't dare try to pick up a glass. This, she realised, was it. The last time she'd ever get to see Kara Danvers. She'd never see those eyes sparkle at her again, that smile light up the room. She realised what a stupid question she'd just asked. Of course it was over, how could it be anything else? Oh, Kara hadn't made the best choices either but she'd never once let her own feelings, her own weaknesses overwhelm her and push her down a path that hurt innocents.

"Sorry, I... I'll go." Lena stammered as she felt the tears come but forced them back, determined to not cry in front of Kara. Aside from anything else this time she wasn't sure that is she started she'd ever stop. She got to her feet, squashing the words that bubbled up in her mind. "I'm sorry". "I didn't mean...". "I love you."... what did any of that matter after what she'd done?

She turned and a hand caught her wrist. "Kate". The word was whispered, shaky, but clear and Lena frowned, confused.

"What?"

"You wanted to know about Kate. You said to tell you about her if I could still be in the same room as you."

Lena's heart missed a beat. "Yes..."

"Sit down, please?"

Lena let Kara guide her back but she could barely stay still, her body so overloaded her muscles twitched involuntarily.

"Lena... I wish I'd known what you were going through, wish I... we had done things differently. More than anything I wish we could change that. But that's not how the world works."

"No." Lena agreed quietly.

"And you're right, things can't be as they were." Kara said with quiet determination. "But maybe that's not such a bad thing either. I trusted you completely and you deserve that... but it also blinded me to even considering that there might be something else going on, didn't see you were hurting until it was too late. You trusted me, at least you trusted Kara Danvers, completely and when that trust was broken there was nothing else to fall back on."

She took a deep breath and looked Lena dead in the eyes. "Want to start over? Do things better this time?"

"I'd like that..." Lena said and Kara had never heard her friend so broken and relieved. "But before we do there's one thing I've got to say. I'm so, so sorry Kara. For all of it, for the hurt I caused, for the damage I did but most of all for not being the person I thought I could be when you were around. You, you deserve better than that."

Kara pulled her into a hug and both women were exceptionally glad for their privacy in this public place as the tears fell freely. Lena's hands curled around Kara's back, holding on so tightly it would have hurt anyone else on the planet while Kara rested her head on Lena's hair and shook with fear and pain and loss and relief all coming out together.

Eventually the tears ran out and Kara felt Lena relax into her, the desperate grip becoming more familiar, more comfortable.

"So Kate..." Lena said quietly, knowing Kara would hear her even if she barely thought the words. "What's she like?" She felt Kara smile in her hair and Lena shifted her right hand up to squeeze Kara's shoulder encouragingly.

"She's... she's.... she's a force of nature, Lena. She's passionate and driven and funny and charming and, and beautiful."

"The last one I knew." Lena said with a smile and she'd swear she could *feel* Kara blush against her. "Though I've always felt 'striking' was the word for Kate Kane."

"I know what you mean." Kara sighed happily. "And when she looks at me it's like nothing else in the whole world matters to her. When I'm around her it's like... like this is where I'm supposed to be."

Lena reluctantly let go and pulled back far enough to see Kara's face. As she'd suspected the Kryptonian was practically glowing with happiness, her blue eyes sparkling in the dim light.

"And all it took for you to find love was the end of the Multiverse." Lena teased gently. Kara shrugged and grinned. "Guess that means we have to stay together, can you imagine what'd happen if we broke up?"

"I'd rather not." Lena said laughing. "Kara... I'm genuinely thrilled for you but I'm curious about something?"

"What?"

"You DO know that you're now living the dream of pretty much every bi-curious woman on the planet, right?"

"Huh?"

"Kate Kane is, oh how to put this... she's one of those women who straight women look at and get very confused by. Like, consistently, look up any comment section on any article about her and I guarantee you'll find a bunch of women admitting they'd switch sides."

"I... did not know that."

Lena chuckled. "You need to experience the world a bit more Kara."

"Oh Kate's helping me with that." Lena dissolved into giggles at the look of shock on Kara's face as she realised what she'd just said. "No! No, I mean, uh... that's not... I mean I didn't mean..."

Lena shook a hand while trying to get herself under control enough to speak. "Yes it was."

"I.. no that's..." Kara dropped her head in defeat. "Yeah, yeah it was. Sorry."

"Sorry? About what? Getting to bed Kate Kane? I'm slightly jealous but not to the point apologies are required! If you want to be sorry then apologise with more details!"

"What?" The word was a squeak and Kara was so red Lena wondered if it was possible for her to spontaneously de-power herself.

"Come on, how many times have those reporter instincts of yours grilled me? I'm just returning the favour!"

Kara went to protest then paused. Why not, she thought, what was there to fear?

"Well... there's this list."

"Oh, a freebie list? Wait, how does that even work when you've both already got each other? Who's going to beat that?"

"You'd be surprised..." Kara said with a wink.

"Why would I be.. wait, am I on Kate's list? No... hang on, I know that look... Kara Danvers am I on *your* list?" Lena said with a wicked grin but to her surprise Kara simply returned it.

"Well that would be telling wouldn't it? Besides it's not a freebie list."

"No, no no no, come on, you can't leave that hanging... wait, what do you mean it's not a freebie list, what other sort of list would you have?"

"A very educational one." Kara said with a wink. "Think of it as a to-do list."

Lena suddenly got a very clear mental picture of exactly what sort of list Kara might be talking about and blinked, a blizzard of images flashing by her mind's eye of those two beautiful creatures exploring the more creative side of a physical relationship. She shook herself as subtly as she could then threw Kara a dazzling smile.

"You let Kate Kane write your to-do list? You are in *so* much trouble Ms Danvers."


	6. Chapter 6

Batwoman was standing in the shadow of a billboard cursing the 'bright lights, big city' nature of National City. Sure Gotham was tearing itself apart with class warfare, poverty, crime and general stupidity but at least it had a decent number of dark spaces to make stalking around the place easier. She'd been out on patrol all night, determined to make sure there was no call for Supergirl. Kara needed an uninterrupted night for her talk with Lena and that was exactly what Kate was going to give her.

In the alley below her she saw the two thugs detach themselves from a wall and turn to follow the three young women who'd just taken the wrong drunken turn. At the far end of the alley four more men moved into position, trapping their prey.

"What have we got here? Three little lost birds." The apparent leader of the group said in what Kate knew, just knew, he thought of as smooth, sophisticated menacing tones. She sighed and dropped a hand to her belt.

"Oh dear, that's tragic." A second said. "Where are you going little birds, maybe we can help you get there."

"For a price of course!" A third put in, grabbing one of their purses and rifling through it.

"Oh of course... though... hmm, maybe we can work something else out, these three might have something to offer that's worth more than cash."

"Well let's find out!" The last of the group reached eagerly for the rearmost of the three women... and cried out in pain. The others spun to face him and saw, to their horror, the batarang embedded in his palm. There was a rustle from above them and a black shape dropped on the largest of the men, punching down as it hit, laying him cold as it rolled back to its feet.

"What have we got here, six little criminals." The voice was low and distorted, the blue eyes in the cowl flicking from target to target with a cold, calculating stare.

"Oh you guys are *fucked*" One of the three women laughed. Batwoman snapped her a look, paused, then nodded once seemingly in agreement. 

"Get her!" The four remaining thugs charged forward only for one to fall instantly with another batarang sticking from his knee. The first to reach the black clad vigilante had his nose broken by a quick punch and staggered back howling. The others swung at her but only found empty air as she ducked away, a side kick into the ribs convincing one of them that lying on the ground whimpering was a great career move.

The one untouched man paused and reached out to grab the broken base of a packing crate from a stack of debris. He gave a cocky, confident smile and raised the board, getting a feel for its weight in his hand as he made a 'come on' gesture with his free hand. Batwoman just stood her ground, silent and clearly unimpressed, He took a step forward and was almost yanked off his feet as the board seemed to get stuck in something. 

He spun around and found himself nose to nose with a blonde woman with a rather annoyed expression. Running on instinct he raised his left hand, fist bunched and she planted a finger in his chest and *flicked*... he flew back down the alley, landing in a groaning heap amongst the garbage. 

"Are you all okay?" Supergirl said, turning to the prospective victims.

"Thanks to you two, y... look out!" One yelled, pointing. Behind Batwoman Mr Broken Nose had made it back to his feet and was rushing her, arms outstretched, looking to do whatever damage he could. Batwoman waited until he was almost on her then threw up a hand. The dull crunch as he ran into her armoured fist was, she had to admit, extremely satisfying and almost matched by the muffled gurgle as he sank to the ground, lesson learnt. 

"Holy crap!" The girl who'd shouted the warning was staring, slightly star struck, at the scene. "That... that was awesome."

She just had time to see the flicker of a smile on Batwoman's face before a grapple shot up and she vanished into the darkness above. She turned, along with her friends, to catch the Girl of Steel smile as she watched the Bat disappear then look at them. 

"You're sure you're all okay?" They nodded, tongue-tied. "Then get going, I'll make sure these... gentlemen get to the NCPD." There was a blur of movement and the groaning criminals were gone.

This time Kate had found a relatively secluded church roof that was much more to her tastes and gave her a little more stalking room. She heard a rustle of fabric and looked up to see Kara floating in the air above her head. Just for a moment she stared, drinking in the sight of her own personal goddess before beckoning her down.

"You really need to work on this whole stealthy thing." Kate said with a grin then gasped in surprise as Kara grabbed her, kissed her and whirled into the air with Kate still tightly held against her.

"I take it things went well with Lena?" Kate managed as Kara levelled off just above the clouds.

"Well enough." Kare said. "Thank you."

"You did the hard part, both of you."

"We wouldn't have gotten there without you getting involved."

"Who am I to argue with the only person between me and, oh, a five thousand foot drop?" Kate quipped. 

"Knew you'd see things my way." Kara kissed her again and took her time, drawing the moment out and enjoying the giddy thrill of having this extraordinary woman in her arms. 

"Well you're very persuasive." Kate teased once they could breathe again.  
"On that point, are you done beating the hell out of muggers and rapists for the evening?"

"Well that's kinda dependent on them but as far as I'm concerned yep, I'm good."

"Would you... I mean... there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Kate looked at Kara's slightly nervous expression and wondered what on earth the Girl of Steel had in mind. 

"Of course, but you're driving!" She said and laughed as Kara swept her up bridal style before heading for the city limits.

About ten minutes later laughter was the farthest thing from Kate's mind. There was something deeply primal about her current situation and the bit of the human brain that would be forever simian was currently ook'ing at her to run for the nearest tree. As that wouldn't really fit the whole Paragon of Courage mantle - and the nearest tree was a good quarter mile away - she ignored it and stood her ground. Walking slowly towards her was Kara and by her side a fully grown male lion who, while not overly aggressive, clearly wasn't happy with the newcomer in his territory. Kara had her right hand resting on his side and he seemed content enough to let her guide him.

"Take off your gauntlet. Slowly." Kara called and Kate swallowed at the thought of taking armour off with the large set of teeth and claws stalking towards her.

"You're sure about this? Think they consider bats a light snack!"

"Trust me."

And there it was. The simple fact was Kate did trust Kara with, well, everything including her life. Moving as smoothly and slowly as she could she tugged her right gauntlet off and clipped it to her belt. The air was cool on her fingers and she kept her hand by her side.

"This is Max." Kara said as they got within five foot of the nervous Kate. "He's the leader of this little pride."

Beside her Max rumbled, eyeing Kate up and she got the distinct impression he was deciding which side of her neck to gore first. Of course she knew she wasn't in any real danger. Even if she'd been standing here naked it wouldn't matter. Kara would never let anything happen to her and could move faster than any lion could hope to match. The problem was that while her brain knew that the rest of her was desperately jumping up and down to get her attention while making frantic pointing signals at the actual lion, - LION - close enough to swipe her face off with a single blow from its massive paw.

Kara reached out and took Kate's bare right hand in her left. Max swung his head, eyes locked on the new contact as he pressed a little closer to Kara's side. 

"Max... meet Kate." Kara carefully eased Kate's hand over and pressed it down, palm first, on the top of Max's huge head. His fur was surprisingly soft and Kate swallowed as she felt his body rumbling. Then, to her horror, Kara let go of her and she was standing directly in front of a lion stroking his head. The world seemed to hold its breath... then Max slowly moved, tilting his head down so her hand landed on his ear. Kate did a double take then gently, carefully, started to stroke and scratch the big cat. He let out a happy grumble and shuffled round to lean his body against Kate, almost knocking her over just from his sheer mass. She looked up in shock to see Kara grinning at her.

"Is this seriously happening?"

"Yep."

"But... but you said he was the pack leader?"

"He is. But I think he likes having an alpha female around, takes the pressure off." Kara winked and turned in time to intercept and fuss over Misty as she padded up now Max had clearly accepted the newcomer. 

"Some of the scariest creatures on the planet and to you they're just big house cats." Kate teased as Max curled around her legs, moving her hand to scratch his back.

"And what, exactly, are you doing right now Ms Kane?"

"Trying very hard not to land Luke with a dry cleaning bill?"

"I can see beneath that mask you know..."

"Alright, I admit, this is... amazing."

"Yeah, they really are." Kara said, kneeling down and rolling with the two cubs as they launched themselves at her, their mom putting herself carefully between them and Kate. Accepted she might be but they clearly didn't trust her, at least not yet. "It's why I come here when, well, when I've seen the worst of humanity. Clears my head a little, reminds me there's more to this planet than just, oh, just business and backstabbing and small, petty minds."

"Does it work?"

"To a point."

"And then?"

"Then I fly home to you and that does the rest."

Kate shook her head. "You always say the sweetest things when a giant woman-eating creature that could swallow me whole is inches from my jugular."

"He wouldn't do that. You don't swallow kevlar, you chew it."

"Funny. Very funny."

"Which reminds me, when we get back I want to add a new section to the list."

"Huh?" 

"We haven't got anything above the six hundred mark have we?"

"Well.. no, but..."

"Great so section 700 it is!"

"And what, exactly, is going in this section we haven't already covered."

"Well I thought the first item should be how to fit three in a bed..."

Kate's surprised laughter rippled across the ground of the enclosure, mixed with the snuffling, rumbling grunts of the group of lions surrounding them as Kate Kane and Kara Danvers found themselves completely, totally at peace with the world in a single, perfect moment.

**Author's Note:**

> One of the comments on the Public Enemies arc was that the Lena / Kate interaction didn't feel quite right and, well, they were right. I couldn't quite get it to work there as it was either going to be far too slow for that point in the story or given massively short shrift. So we dive into it here instead and I'm glad I did as this feels much more satisfying! Hopefully it doesn't stray too far from being on character, albeit these versions are now a fair way into this branch from canon so there's going to be at least a little drifting going on.
> 
> Still a few comic nods here though dialled back a little bit but I couldn't resist giving Kate an offhand backhand moment!


End file.
